Persephone
Persephone, originally referred to as Kore, is a protagonist of the Receiver of Many series. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter and the eldest of all of Zeus' children. Persephone is the wife of Aidoneus and rules over Chthonia equally with her husband and she is also the Goddess of Spring. Appearance Persephone is described as very beautiful, with long, russet hair, fair skin (which becomes paler during her time in the underworld), and wild, blue-gray eyes. As Kore, she has a rather youthful appearance. As she grows into her role as Chthonia’s queen, her appearance becomes more adult-like: her cheekbones become more pronounced, her hair grows darker, and her body begins to mature. History Persephone was conceived during the heiros gamos between Zeus and Demeter and from the very start, was destined to rule the underworld. When Zeus’ attention began to turn towards other women, Demeter attempted to win him back by stealing the spear of Iapetos. However, Demeter’s plan backfired, and she ended up compromising herself and Hades. After Iapetos was defeated, Zeus and Demeter swore their daughter to Hades, which resulted in him receiving the underworld as his lot. When Persephone was born, Demeter, who was recently abandoned by Zeus, renamed her Kore and swore to protect her from all men. This resulted in Kore living a life sheltered not only from men and sex, but from her true divine calling. Before menarche, Kore lived in Nysa and was guarded by nymphs. Because of the gods’ sexual antics, nymphs rarely stayed in Kore’s presence for very long, causing her to be quite lonely. Only the Naiads Minthe and Cyane remained as her constant guardians. As Kore began to flower into womanhood, Demeter relocated with her and eventually, the two made their home in Eleusis. Events Receiver of Many Destroyer of Light Personality As Kore, Persephone spent most of her life in Eleusis with her mother. Because of Demeter’s extreme lengths to shield her from men and sex, even going as far pulling her away from her childhood home when she reached menarche, Kore grew up being naive, scared, and lonely. Despite this, she still showed traits of a natural born ruler, which become more prominent as she adjusts to life in the underworld. Powers and Abilities Like many other deities, Persephone has control over her domain as well as many magical and psychic abilities. She can manipulate her appearance and as an earth goddess, Persephone has the ability to control vegetation. However, this barely scratches the surface of her true power. As the series goes on, we learn that she can create life through her union with Aidoneus, such as when they restored fertility to the earth and the creation of Elysion through their heiros gamos. Persephone uses the fires of the river Phlegethon to travel through the ether and open a gateway to Tartarus using the same method. When she and Aidoneus are attacked by the Keres in Tartarus, Persephone discovers that she can command them, a feat not even her husband can accomplish. After Persephone receives the Key of Hades, she can listen to the voices of her subjects and gains the ability to travel between Chthonia and the living world. The Key also strengthens her bond with Aidoneus, giving them both the ability to hear and feel the other’s thoughts and emotions. Trivia * Both Persephone and Demeter are vegetarians Random Receiver of Many Headcanons #1 * While she adores Cerberus, Persephone is also fond of catsH&P Headcannon * As Kore, her favorite flower was larkspur. As Persephone, her favorite flower is asphodel but larkspur still has a place in her heartRandom Receiver of Many Headcanon #2 . * Persephone prefers to walk barefoot and will only wear sandals in the underworld because of its cold floorsRandom Receiver of Many Headcanon #3 References Category:Characters